INTERIOR DESIGN

Jul

As a professional/small business owner, home office plays such a big part of my life. I spend more than half of my time in the small room with my laptop and stationery. However, I always wanted to find a way to make use of the small room and turn my personal workspace to a more inviting space, where I can enjoy my work and also use the other half of the room to relax. I wanted something simple and effective, hence Hübsch unique design managed to meet my needs. I have successfully combine their beautifully crafted furniture and set up my ideal workspace.

The most important element in this set up is their PARTITION. I wanted to use this oak partition to divide the small room into two areas, where I can separate my workspace and create a semi-private space. While maintaining the view to my window, you can move the partition to different place to block any view as you wish, but the gaps in between the bars still give you limited view. I like it as it makes me feel somehow private whilst not stranded.

Using the bamboo coat hook is great for styling as well as serving a purpose. I can use it for bags, umbrella, wireless speaker, coat, hanging plant pot and more! The imagination is infinite and you can use it to suit your need, and of course, be creative about it! The terracotta lamp has a lovely matte surface that gives your fingers a joy to touch, the shape itself is enough to make a statement in this office.

The magazine holder and storage box are both made with oak and the quality is excellent. The texture gives it a simple and beautiful finish. You can hide away the mess with the storage box and use the top tier to show off your collection of stationery. I have a slight obsession with concrete and brass combination. These concrete desk organisers are the perfect home for your precious stationery. To soften up my minimal furniture that has unique shapes and hard material/structure, I have chosen the light grey chair with seat covered in fabric. The soft fabrics will complement the strong pieces in the workspace.

The oak desk with grey top has immaculate and masculine shape in my opinion that fits really with with my personal aesthetic. The leg structure is rounded and I like how Hübsch plays with the shape for their furniture to create the Nordic design. I have chosen the Bamboo baskets to match the stripes of the partition.

Create a neat and inviting workspace, this will increase your efficiency and also motivation! I definitely enjoy my workspace more than ever, it has became a room that I look forward to go into.

Please visit Hübsch for more information about the furniture and fill your home with some unique pieces. Check out their full collection here!

Jan

Who else here would hang up their clothes in a hotel wardrobe? I hope that I ain’t the only one! It makes me feel good and cozy to organize my belongings in a hotel always as it feels like I’ve already settled in – especially in such a neat design room. This minimal monochromatic design wardrobe belongs to Hotel Mono in Singapore.

The moment I walked into Hotel Mono, Singapore – a modern boutique hotel that is located closely to Chinatown. Who would have thought this chic and modern hotel is hidden in the historical building? The entrance was simple and yet made an impressive first impression on me when the transparent automated door was opened.

Going through the lounging areas in between floors were like a minimalist playground. The interior design is basic but filled with stylish and modern furniture. And of course, everything is monochrome.

As featured in Cereal’s city guide in Singapore, Hotel Mono definitely stood out from the crowd. This stairway to minimalist heaven in their Loft Room took my breath away – the main reason I wanted to stay there too! This generous Loft room offers great space with 2 beds – one on the ground and another on an elevated floor level within the room. Isn’t that cool?! It’s great for families or group of friends of 4 in my opinion. But being the selfish me, I wanted it all for myself!

The choice of furniture or any structural/building design accessories in Hotel Mono is simple, monochromatic and strong. The design principal is compositional and also symmetrical in a way. Each design piece is carefully curated from the wall lamp, flooring to the shower gel container. Did you notice the Rococo-era windows in this building? They are so characteristic and seem unreal to exist in such a modern city.

Having a monochromatic bedroom in my own house myself, I am actually inspired by Hotel Mono where I would definitely adopt some of the design aspect in my next house – when I can design and build my own house. This black metal stairway is definitely something that I would love to have at my home. There’s a new vision in every angle of the room through the stairway, just like my life perspective. It gives you inspiration each time when you observe, and opens up your imagination and creativity.

Please visit Hotel Mono for more information on the hotel and book it for next visit in Singapore. There’s also a bakery shop that sells very good egg tart too! It’s called Tong Heng – make sure you try their egg tart!

Jan

Rattan chair, plunge pool and tropical plants – Are these the complete package for a cool summer vacation in The Slow, Canggu, Bali? If you haven’t been to Canggu in Bali, you should start planning your next summer trip here! I have been to Seminyak, Bali in the past, but Canggu beat that in my opinion. The crowd in Canggu is young and free – probably due to the surfers in the town. There are many hidden minimalistic cafes (check out Quince Cafe!) and boutiques with artsy interior design too. It’s like a little minimalist heaven in Bali.

The Slow impressed me by their appreciation of art and interior design. Each piece of furniture is carefully selected – at least that’s how I felt it. Each piece of the furniture in the hotel or room has great details and beautifully crafted, either a stool by the bar in the restaurant, the bench in the hallway or the in-house DJ booth. The aesthetic of furniture are all complementary of each other in terms of vibe.

The moment I arrived in the Pool Suite, there were cool jams already playing in the room’s built in speaker. There’s no television in the room/hotel, one of the great concept for visitors like me who need to take things slow and stay away from the distraction on holiday. Who needs a television in this type of environment anyway?

Always start your day with high protein breakfast (Charred fish and noodles – as seen in the image above) and a swim to kick off the holiday.

‘Rainforest’ shower to cool you down in the tropical heat hey! The bench in the shower is so zen!

My favourite part of the day in the Pool Suite is to read a book on the day bed. One of my resolution in 2018 is to take things slower definitely as I had very hectic lifestyle from 2016 since the start of new business. So having the chance of to chill and read is a treat for me in this holiday! And it’s blissful to be surrounded by so much greeneries!

You can also spend a bit of time walking around the hotel to enjoy their arts on walls. Plenty of great photography work from different artists. Definitely something not to miss! They all tell great stories.

There are many sofas and benches in the hotel where you can just sit and chill – have a coffee and share your memories with your friends – or do some people watching perhaps like I did! It’s pretty inspiring. I love the details of the furniture in The Slow as they are all unique and I love the handcrafted quality of it from cushion to woodwork.

The Slow Restaurant is also as chic as the hotel itself. As I mentioned before, the attention to details of design is amazing in The Slow. The ceramic plates and wooden utensils or bowls are all handcrafted too. I enjoyed the drinks in The Slow as they have great selection of mixed fruit/vegetable juices – all served in The Slow labelled bottles!

If you want to catch a bit of sun on the roof top in The Slow, make sure you bring a bottle of beer or their fruit juice to cool you down! It’s a cute place to hang around with your mates!

Please visit The Slow for more information on the hotel and book it for your next summer trip! If you want to take it slow, this is the place. P/S: The internet reception in the room is poor – definitely stop you from spending time on phone too!

May

MyFlavour water carafe from Eva Solo boasts a removable skewer in the lid, which means that all kinds of aromas can easily, and also for decorative effect, be added to the water we serve – and it is just as easy to remove the fruit and greenery from the carafe again.

The skewer in the MyFlavour carafe is detachable, and the carafe can also be used without its lid; however, it is a good idea to keep the lid on when the carafe is stored in the fridge so that the water does not absorb unwanted flavours.

Facts

Add a dash of flavour to your water using the skewer

Skewer can be removed and the carafe used without it

Fits most fridge doors

The lid ensures that the water does not absorb unwanted flavours in the fridge

Dishwasher-safe

Material: Borosilicate glass, Silicone, Stainless steel

Size: Volume: 1.0 L

I love how this carafe works and it is perfect for me to make some natural flavoured water that I enjoy! And it looks so beautiful in my home too.

Apr

Less is more, it is real! You can create your own Nest corner with 3 simple pieces to make your home stylish and yet functional. The ingredients are a chair, a table, and a lamp! With the right choices of furniture, you can decorate your home with ease. Nest.co.uk offers great selection of contemporary products for your home and garden and it is now my favourite online retailer for interior design products.

Yes, simple, stylish, and they will look good anywhere at your home – even in front of an empty wall!

Or you can match them with your other interior design products to make your home more cozy!

If you are not very certain on the colour choices for your home, I would suggest you to choose everything in monochrome, that will never go wrong and it’s the easiest way to make a stylish home. You can have everything in black, different shades of grey and white. If you want to make them more interesting, you can add a pop of colour with some decorative accessories. You can find a lot of options from Nest.co.uk too!

Please visit Nest.co.uk for more inspiration and interior design products. You can also read their interview with me by clicking here.

Jan

I found this Block Table from Normann Copenhagen few months back and I totally fell in love with it. I have always been a big fan of Scandinavian interior design and I thought this would be a perfect fit with my new home. It also comes in several colours, including the new dark blue which I love a lot!

I find this Block Table so versatile that I can use it for office, bedroom or as a mini bar in my lounge?! 🙂

It’s a neat bedside table for a minimalist. You can put your daily essentials on it and you can wake up everyday as a sartorialist.

Alternatively, it could also be great for your office where you can store your books and some snacks to get through your busy day – it’s great for someone who love munching like me, but I will have to work hard in the gym after!

But my favourite usage for this Block Table is definitely the MINI BAR!!! Sorry pals if you are not a drinker.

If you like to drink, drink in style, and responsibly! I hope you are now inspired by my guide to style and for all the stylish gentlemen out there, check out Normann Copenhagen’s social media handles.